Justification:Astelia waialealae is assessed as Critically Endangered. Three subpopulations remain, with 10 mature individuals in total among them. In recent years, most of the bogs have been heavily damaged by feral pigs. Alien invasive plants also pose a threat, and pollination may not be sufficient to produce viable seeds to allow the species to regenerate on its own.

In 1997, Astelia waialealae was known from three separate locations within the Alakaʻi Swamp, comprising 16 individuals: a) Sincock Bog with five individuals in two separate clumps; b) Waikoali Circle Bog with eight individuals in three separate clumps; c) Waialealae region with three individuals in one clump. In 2016, ten individuals are known from among five subpopulations.

In recent years, most of the bogs have been heavily damaged by feral pigs. Circle Bog is fenced, but fence damage sometimes allows pigs to gain access in. Human disturbance in the form of fire has damaged one bog within the last three years. Invasive introduced plants including Juncus planifolius, Xyris camplanata, Schizachyrium condensatum, also pose a threat. The species is dioecious, and lack of pollination is thought to result in poor seed set. Fortini et al. (2013) characterized this taxon as extremely vulnerable to climate change (vulnerability index 0.896).

Astelia waialealae is listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Act. It is also listed by the State of Hawaiʻi. It is monitored by the Hawaiʻi State Plant Extinction Prevention Program. All remaining individuals are within small fenced, weeded, and monitored areas.